My Christmas wish list and my 1st ever.. 1st impressions!

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone is well!!

I did my first ever "first impressions" video!
I chose to do it on the L'Oreal Super Slim Liquid Eye Liner that I picked up in target recently for only $8.99! If you missed the video catch it here!

Since buying the eyeliner pen I have really fallen in love with it - it makes cat eyes so much easier!
I hope it lasts me awhile and doesn't dry out too quickly (as I've found similar products have).
I like this pen because the tip is precise and thin but it is not too long (as I found the maybeline master precise to be). I think that the longer an eyeliner pen like this is = the more flimsy and difficult to use. I think the super slim is perfect for beginners of makeup or people who still struggle with winged liner(cough mee).. I would highly recommend this product and would definitely re-purchase!

Highlight = 'Marilyn' by Gerard Cosmetics! Code 'Barry'=25% off the entire site!

I've seen loads of reports that the Kardashian's posted there Christmas wish list/gift guide this week and while I don't have any of their apps my question to you is what's one your wish list or gift guide? it might give me some ideas for a post? Let me know! 

My wish list would be mostly techy this year: a Macbook Pro (I hate my current laptop and I'm just over pcs altogether: my experience is that they don't last!), an iphone 6 S Plus (bigger is better?:) and a new camcorder(mine's broken), also a new tripod!lol Other than that I'd love the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix eyeshadow palette(it's in a colour wheel=how awesome!), over the knee lace up boots and the yeezy boost 350 runners: in love!x!
not quite as extravagant as the Kardashian's lists! lol

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo 

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

SO I got to work with the Kardashians!

Hey Blog Readers! 

So let me just begin by saying unfortunately due to nda(non-disclosure-agreement) I can't talk in any depth about the job or answer many questions so this blog will be short but on Friday I got to work along side the Kardashian/Jenners all day! 

As you all know this is not a celebrity gossip blog so that's not my intention at all with this post! But it was an exciting day for me because I have watched 'Keeping up with the Kardashian's' since the beginning! I am a fan of the show and I would definitely class the girls as some of my style icons - I love admiring both their fashion and beauty/hair/makeup! 

So why was I there? I was booked as kim's stand-in initially(stand-in is not to be confused with a body double-those girls have amazing bodies + kim is pregnant so they've no need for a body double but a stand in is someone who looks similar who "stands in" for set-up purposes to test everything before the celeb jumps in). I was very flattered and it was definitely a confidence boost because it came about the most bizarre way-I didn't apply or have an audition: I worked on a subway commercial over 4 months ago and one of the production members took my picture(as they take everyone's picture on set), thought I looked like a Kardashian, remembered me, and reached out to see if I would be interested! of course I was - if nothing else out of curiosity! My pictures were then sent off to 3 others to be approved and I was booked on the job! She actually didn't tell me who it was for until the day before the shoot so it was a nice surprise! and as a result I ended up standing in for all of the Kardashian/Jenner girls! 

What can I give away...

I guess what I can give away is what they gave away themselves on their Instagrams :) 

It was for a set of E! promo commercials. I am so sad that I won't get to keep/see any of the video/picture footage of me taken when I was standing in (well-jell) because the concept was so cool and the results looked amazing! This will be their best commercial yet!

Kris, Kylie, Kendall, Kourtney, Kim and Khloe were all there along with their glam squad and a large production group. WOW they are one beautiful family! I think they are actually better looking in person (not that they could be better looking but they look the same as they do on tv/in magazines, non-photoshop if that makes sense). I felt like they each bought there own individual personalities to the set and to the shoot (which is why KUWTK is so popular in the first place-you can always relate to someone in the family). Personality wise they were all the same as they are on TV which is refreshing! 

Here are some of their smedia posts from the day (I actually saw some of these selfies being taken - which is funny to think they then went on to get hundreds of thousands/millions of likes!)

 

What Did I learn? 

On most sets there is loads of junk food and you get so hungry you end up snacking(hellooo-I've put on 10pounds since moving to the US, lol) but on this set there was a guy with a tray bringing around small healthy snacks. I thought this was a great idea! as you were snacking but it was healthy and not too much-I had a little chicken salad, regular salad, fruit etc.. throughout the day as well as a beautifully catered full lunch. Eating healthy snacks regularly is a much better idea than becoming starving and indulging on sugar to lift your energy-I'll definitely take this on board. I also feel I learnt from watching each girl "bring it" for the camera! They each had their own way and individual style, their personalities came through but the over-all factor was confidence and just working it and going for it 100%! I feel like this will help me with my own shoots! I also learnt (which I knew already but many seem to question) that the Kardashian's are all extremely hardworking! They were on set about 10-12 hours the call time was 7am and they had a graduation party at their house the night before for Kendall and Kylie! I don't know about you guys but I think it shows a great work-ethic that both of the younger girls were there working hard and putting in the hours (I follow Kylie on snapchat and saw that she woke up at 6am) the day after their party! I don't think this would be done by many girls their age after a party night! I know I need my 8hours sleep just to function, lol! 

Why didn't I take any pictures? 

Basically I was on set to work and wanted to be professional. I liked the job and would like to do it again in the future and be re-booked (not that I forever want to be a "stand-in" but it was a fun,easy job, as random as it was). I also didn't know if they were going to post any pictures on social media of the day just yet or if they're makeup and what they were wearing was to remain confidential until the promos come out on E! so I didn't want to ask to take a selfie. Anyway, they were all super down to earth, as they are on the show! it felt so random to me as I felt like I knew them but obviously I had to take into consideration that they didn't know me and not start talking about there recent trip to Montanna or anything else I'd watched on the show!lol! 

Anyway, I had a lot of fun - it was great to meet them and I also got a good first-hand look at their make-up and hair (the important stuff, lol) so I may try to do a few inspired videos on my YouTube! So make sure to subscribe to stay updated! 

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

Perfect Purple Bandage Dress

Hey Blog Readers! 

I LOVE shopping online and recently tried a new online store - TheKewlShop.com. I was so excited when I found them (who doesn't like discovering a new store?!) and I've been meaning to post about my purchase ever since but I was waiting until I got a chance to wear the dress to an event or shoot! Unfortunately I haven't had the right occasion for the dress YET (keep an eye on my Instagram because I'm sure I'll get to wear it properly very soon and I look forward to styling it with the right accessories, hairstyle and makeup).
However, even though I haven't worn the dress out as yet, I thought I would pop the dress on at home so that I could show it to you guys while it is definitely still in stock as I'm sure many of you will love it just like I do!

First a little you need to know about The Kewl Shop! They specialize in bandage dresses!(yay.. kim.k eat your heart out, lol) however they also sell a wide range of  other fab dresses, funky leggings, and gorgeous shoes! They have a celebrity section - which is a feature I always love when shopping online!.. so you can see which celebs rocked a similar style! They offer FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE (AMAZING!), plus size options, easy returns and 24hour costumer service!

SO with that said... which dress did I get?? 
I got the Purple Deep V Spaghetti Bandage Dress! which retails for $139 .. considering similar Herve Leger style dresses can range from hundreds to thousands it's not a bad price! ;) I got it in an XS which is a 2 in the US and a 6 in Ireland. I would consider myself more of a size 8 in Ireland in general.. therefore I feel the sizing is a little big so check the measurement section to discover your individual correct size!

here's the dress on their model:

 

And here's the dress on me earlier today! 

There are so many elements to this dress that I love! 

• It's a bandage material so it hugs in all the right places and holds you in! 
• I love the way the zip sits at the back.. there's something quite cheeky yet flattering about it! It makes your butt look good ;) 
• I like that from behind it looks like a 2 piece (skirt and top). 
• The cut outs at the side give the illusion of a tiny waist. 
• The cross over straps on the back are sexy and I also like the spaghetti style and cut outs on the bust. 
• It has a striking neckline and paneled detail throughout the middle along with a mesh cut out underneath the bust. 
• It is very low cut so it's not for the faint hearted but it's definitely very special and a head turner for sure! 

To shop the dress I bought just click here!! :) 

I am Super impressed by the Kewl Shop!! The quality of my dress is top notch, it fits amazingly, the color is vibrant, it looks exactly as it does on the online store(always a PHEWW moment when shopping online and your package arrives!) the staff are super helpful when you have a question, the delivery was super fast and I will definitely be picking up some more pieces form the Kewl shop very soon!

I CANNOT WAIT to wear my dress to something special! Keep an eye out @ShahiraBarry on instagram and all social media for the pics!x!

If you haven't already make sure to follow The Kewl Shop on facebook, instagram and twitter and most importantly visit their website! BTW If you tag them in a selfie wearing one of their items you'll receive 15% off your next purchase... because confidence deserves a sweet discount! lol #Selfie #TheKewlShopOfficial ;)

Em why are you still here??...What are you waiting for... CLICK here to get over to The Kewl Shop, check it out and get SHOPPINGGG :) 

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo 

 If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.

Easy Contouring and Highlighting + Video

Hey Blog Readers! 

So I've done my 2nd YouTube video of 2015! and this time I decided to do 'How I contour and Highlight"! Lets point out I don't do these steps every day for a regular day time look but if I've a night out, a shoot or something special on I'll take the extra time to contour/highlight when doing my makeup!

I thought I'd add some extra info to this blog that may not have been covered in the video!

Incase you don't already know 'contouring & highlighting' helps to add or accentuate dimension on your face! if done right it is absolutely beautiful!
Contouring is to add shadow to an area and to make that are recede inwards. Highlighting will bring an area forward! Makeup artists have always known about this technique but it has really become a trend with the rest of us since Kim Kardashian posted the below photo of her makeup application and everyone wanted to know what she was doing! what is her secret??-its contouring/highlighting and it's out of the bag now! lol

 

The results are flawless!

The products I use to contour/highlight: 

1. Max Factor Pan Stick Foundation #14 
2. Makeup forever sculpting kit (the bronzer)
3. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in 'Light' 
4. Ben nye banana powder mixed with Ben nye super white powder. 
5. Young Blood 'Twilight' highlighter 

Brushes: 

1. Real Techniques contour brush 
2. Real Techniques buffing brush 
3. Real Techniques detail brush 
4. Any clean eye shadow brush with tightly packed bristles 
5. Real Techniques crease brush. 

Things to NOTE: 

• I had my foundation on before doing my contour/highlight - which is my last step in my makeup application!
• You can choose to do only one of the steps I show.. meaning: either the cream contour/highlight or the powder contour/highlight! however doing both will ensure it doesn't budge and will give a more extreme precise result for a special occasion. 
• If wearing during the day it is probably best to only do the cream/liquid technique as it will look more natural! 
• You don't have to use the products that I use - you can make do with what you have or opt for an alternative! the idea is simply to use any cream or liquid foundation that is a couple of shades darker than your skin tone to contour and a couple of shades lighter to highlight! 
• Don't make the mistake of using a bronzer that has a shimmer in it as this defeats the purpose! Think about it... the dark shade is saying to contour (recede) and the shimmer is saying to highlight (bring forward) so your makeup and face will look confused ;) lol. Make sure any bronzer you use is MATT! 
• The nose is individual! if you already have a thin/small nose then don't contour it - it will end up looking really small and strange and you have no need for it! If you have a nose that could do with a little extra contouring don't just copy any video you see (like mine) take the idea from it but then experiment on your own as everyone's nose is different and therefore will need to be inspected and then contoured differently in order to receive the desired results! 
• If your nose has a bump adding the contour colour to the bump and blending well will help to conceal it! and if your nose is long doing the 'Marilyn Monroe' trick that I refer to in the video will make your nose appear shorter! again use your own common sense: if you don't want your nose to look shorter then skip this step! 
• Adding highlight to the tip of your nose will make your nose appear more turned'upwards - if your nose is already turned up at the end then skip this step! 
• I was wearing eye makeup in this video so I didn't demonstrate that you can also contour along the crease of your eye socket to give more dept to your eyes and make them appear larger! 
• Remember highlighting brings that area forward and contouring makes the area go inward SO always examine you're own face to discover the best way for you to highlight/contour as everyone's face is different! for example if you have deep eye sockets which cause under eye circles but you also have puffy cheeks don't bring the highlighter as far down (in the sideways V shape) onto the cheek: instead do a smaller v shape higher up ie. only on the undereye circle which will then bring that area forward to appear flush with your cheek (I hope that explanation is understandable :) 

With all of that being said here is the video!! 

I hope you liked it! let me know if you have any questions or any requests for new videos - I would love to hear them!

Please remember to thumbs up the video and subscribe to my channel!x! 

And FOLLOWWW MEEE on Instagram/Twitter @ShahiraBarry and give a like on facebook!

Lots of Love! 

Shahira Xo 

If your company would like a review or specific blog-post on a product, treatment, service or any other item to appear on www.shahirabarry.com email info@shahirabarry.com with the details.